We are excited to announce that ABHS has been awarded a grant from the National Park Service! This is the largest grant that ABHS has ever received, a grant of $119,153 from the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) program of the National Park Service.
The project, Sharing the Stories: Increasing Access to Records Documenting Japanese American Confinement and Northern Baptists’ Response will digitize records that document the experience of Japanese American Baptists and the work of Northern Baptists who assisted those who were forcibly removed from their communities and incarcerated. To accomplish this, ABHS has hired a project archivist to scan and catalog the relevant records and assist in creating both a digital exhibit and a traveling exhibit.
How can you participate? ABHS would like to include the stories of American Baptist families and congregations whose records are not already in ABHS archival collections. If you or someone you know would be willing to share letters, photos, or other items related to the Japanese American experience in WWII, please let us know. You do not have to give us your family keepsakes. ABHS archivists will be in Seattle in June 1-2 and Los Angeles June 20-24 for “Community Scanning Days” where we will set up equipment to scan personal collections. Register online for a time slot at https://bit.ly/ABHSscan.
This grant is a 2-1 matching grant so we will also be looking to you to help us raise our portion ($60,000). For more information, go to the “Sharing Stories” page under Special Projects in the menu at left.
Herbert & Elizabeth Cope Collection Open
J. Herbert & Elizabeth Cope served as missionaries in the Chin Hills of Burma, 1908-1938. A collection of artifacts and photos was donated in 1985 by A. Danforth Cope, their son, and a collection of family letters was recently donated by Penny and Bill Cutler, their granddaughter and her husband. The collection is now open to researchers.
An exhibit highlighting the work of the Copes and Chin Baptists is on display at ABHS until November, 2024.
Torbet Prize Call for Papers
The American Baptist Historical Society announces a Call for Papers for the Torbet Prize. Each year ABHS seeks essays on Baptist history from authors who have not already published a major scholarly work. The Research and Publication Committee of the ABHS Board of Manager serves as judges, and the winning essay is eligible for publication in an upcoming issue of the American Baptist Quarterly and its author awarded $500. The deadline for submission is September 1. Here are downloadable details.
Send entry, contact information, and a brief bio including a list of prior publications to: ABHSoffice@ABHSarchives.org
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION:
- Author has not already published a major scholarly work;
- Submissions make a unique contribution to the field of Baptist history and/or theology;
- Professional and academic writing standards are met, especially re: attributions and citations;
- Citations, format, and style must follow the Chicago Manual of Style;
- Maximum length: 25 double-spaced pages (excluding notes);
- Submission must be in final draft form, free from errors and ready for publication.
Robert George Torbet (1912-1995) was an American Baptist historian and educator, born in Spokane, WA and later a graduate of Wheaton College, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the University of Pennsylvania. He taught church history at Eastern Seminary (1944-1952), served as director of educational services for the American Baptist Board of Education and Publication (1952-1958), as dean and church history professor at Central Baptist Theological Seminary (1958-1967), and as Associate General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations of the American Baptist Churches, USA (1967-1977). His significant contributions to Baptist research and publication led the American Baptist Historical Society to establish a prize in his honor to encourage development of young scholars in the field of Baptist history studies.
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Torbet Prize Open for Submissions
The American Baptist Historical Society invites submissions for the Torbet Prize for the Best Essay in any area of Baptist History. The winning essay is eligible for publication in an upcoming issue of the American Baptist Quarterly and its author awarded $500; the Research and Publication Committee of the ABHS Board of Managers serves as…
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Online Exhibits & Presentations of American Baptist Ministry & Mission
ABHS prepared numerous online exhibits for the 2021 American Baptist Biennial Mission Summit online. We invite you to take a look at these exhibits and presentations: The American Baptist Historical Society: Preserving and Telling Baptist Stories since 1853 (interactive) 100 years of American Baptist Conventions (interactive) Highlights of the Office of the General Secretary and the denomination…
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Isaac Backus Comments on Foreign Policy
Dec. 30, 1798. Isaac Backus commented against Federalist Party foreign policy in opposition to France. Backus was a leading Baptist preacher during the era of the American Revolution who campaigned against state-established churches in New England. Isaac Backus joined John Brown, Nicholas Brown, William Ellery, Stephen Hopkins, James Manning, Ezra Stiles, Samuel Stillman, Morgan Edwards and several others as an original fellow or trustee for the chartering of the College in…
